On-Barbell Tricep Extension-Presses
By Nick Nilsson

Okay, you got me...I had no idea what to call this one. That's a common problem with me because I come up with some pretty wild combinations of other exercises - sometimes the naming is harder than the exercise itself!

Not this one, though. It's a combination of close grip push-up, a tricep extension and almost a horizontal pike handstand push-up/Arnold press. Try and mash THAT into a coherent name.

Anyway, for this one you'll need a barbell and a bench (or chair or whatever) and something to brace the barbell on. I'm using a rack to push the bar up against and that was the easiest but it can be anything solid. A wall won't really work because your body has to go forward over the bar a little ways.

So set a couple of plates on the bar to get it up off the ground a bit then push it up against the solid object. Set a bench a few feet back from the bar (it can be parallel or lengthwise - doesn't really matter as long as it won't slide out from under you).

Set your hands on the bar about shoulder-width apart then set your feet on the bench.

Get yourself into a pike position with your arms fully straight and locked out - this is the start position. This pike position is what makes it different than a standard close-grip push-up - you'll see why in a second.

Now lower yourself down and forward, bending your arms and straightening out your body as you do so.

Bring your body all the way down until your stomach is touching the bar. This is the bottom position.

Now here comes the critical part - you're NOT just going to do a close-grip push-up here.

You're going to push yourself UP and BACK into the pike position where you started...

When you're at the top, be sure to push yourself all the way up and fully lock out your arms. Push your butt as high in the air as you can. This kicks in the long head of the triceps, bringing in the shoulder extension function of the triceps.

It's hard to really get an idea for how this goes in the still pics here but when you see it done in the video, you'll see exactly why it's so effective for the triceps.

You're not only doing a close-grip press but also using your triceps to push your body back up to the pike position. It's a great multiple-angle, bodyweight hit to the tri's.

And let me tell you, even if you're strong, this'll have your triceps toasted in just a few sets.

Now have a look at the video to really see it in action...

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